Automatic exhaust-valve.



E. F. WILLIAMS 8; LE GRAND SKINNER. AUTOMATIC EXHAUST VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25, 1913.

1, 1 1 1,983. atented Sept. 29, 1914.

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' q i/um) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN F. WILLIAMS AND LE GRAND SKINNER, 01F ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNORS TO THE SKINNER ENGINE COMPANY, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC EXHAUST-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29,1914.

Application filed March 25, 1913. Serial No. 756,680.

the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Exhaust-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

In the U. S. patent to Skinner and Williams No. 1033280, dated July 28,1912, there is disclosed a steam engine cylinder with central exhaustports and intermediate exhaust ports located between the central portsand the ends of the cylinder, the intermediate ports being controlled byvalves which are operated by positive mechanical means for opening andclosing the same. I i

This construction has certain advantages some of which are referred toin said patent. The object of the present invention is to improve saidconstruction with respect to the means for operating the intermediateexhaust valves, said valves being operated automatically; a furtherobject of the invention is to provide a construction in which saidvintermediate valves are held closed when the engine is workingcondensing, and allowed to open and close when the engine is workingnon-condensing, the closed condition in the first instance beingproduced or %ermitted by the vacuum in the exhaust pipe.

y making these valves automatic, the eccentric, rocker, cams, and otherexhaust valve gear is dispensed with.

The invention is illustrated in.- the accompanying drawing which isahali section elevation of a cylinder provided with the valvesYeferredto.

steam as it passes by the valve and through the port 0 to the exhaustpipe N. This provides a free passage of the steam as the piston travelstoward the cylinder head, until the piston has passed over the portabove the valve A and closed it, the piston thus acting as a valve. Thepiston then compresses the steam remaining in the cylinder, and thiscompressed steam enters the space above the piston C through the passageI, and by pressure on said piston overcomes the spring H and closesthevalve A. This valve remains closed until the piston has returned, inconsequence of steam admitted through the inlet valve L, and has clearedor opened the central exhaust' ports M on the 'return stroke, whichrelieves the pressure within the cylinder and consequently in the spaceabove the piston Q, and the valve A is then lifted and opened by thespring H. The cycle will then-be repeated as long as the engineoperatesa nd.v

is working non-condensin Should the engine be operated condensing and avacuum be created Within the exhaust pipe N, the atmospheric pressureunder the piston D will be relieved through the petssage F and the freeair entering above the piston I) through the opening E will push thepiston down, thereby closing the valve A and holding it closed as longas the engine, runs condensing. It is desirable, when the engine isrunning noncondensing to relieve the compression in the main cylinder byopening the valve A at proper times, butwhen the engine is runningcondensing this is not necessary, and it is desirable to hold the valveA closed.

G is a relief valve cylinder.

It will be understood that the parts above described and illustratedrareduplicated at theopposite end of the cylinder, and operatein the sameway. The valve andits pistons are mounted in a suitable casing onktjlylinder shell.

It will be seen that the action of the intermediate exhaust valvesdepends first on whether the engine is running condensing ornon-condensing, being held closed in the former case, provided thevacuum exceeds the strength of the spring H, and being alternatelyopened and closed when running non-condensing, according to the amountof compression behind the main piston J.

What we claim as new is:

1. The combination with a steam engine cylinder, oi an exhaust valve,means to automatically open and close said valve when the. engme isrunnmg non-condensing, and

at the head of the means governed by the vacuum in the exhaust pipe forholding said valve closed when the engine is running condensing.

2. The combination with a steam engine cylinder having main andauxiliary exhaust ports, of a valve controlling the auxiliary exhaustport, means to automatically open and close said valve when the engineis runningnon-condensing, and means governed by the vacuum in theexhaust pipe for closing said valve when the engine is runningcondensing.

3. The combination with a steam engine cylinder having a middle exhaustport and an auxiliary exhaust port between the middle port and each endof the cylinder, of a valve controlling each auxiliary exhaust port,means controlled by the pressure in the cylinder to open and close saidvalve when the engine is running non-condensing, and

means controlled by the vacuum in the exhaust pipe for holding saidvalve closed when the engine is running condensing.

4. The combination with a steam engine cylinder having a middle exhaustport and an auxiliary exhaust port between the middle port and each endof the cylinder, of a. valve controlling each auxiliary exhaust port, aspring tending to hold said valve open, and a pressure operated deviceconnected to said valve and exposed to compression in the end of thecylinder and acting to close said valve when the pressure in thecylinder exceeds the strength of the spring, and anotherpressureoperated device connected to said valve and exposed to thevacuum in the exhaust pipe and acting to hold said valve closed whensuch vacuum exists.

5. The combination with a steam engine cylinder having a middle exhaustport and an auxiliary exhaust port between the middle port and each endof the cylinder, of a valve controlling each auxiliary exhaust port, aspring tending to hold said valve open, and a difierential p'istonconnected to said valve, one part of said piston being exposed tocompression in the end of the cylinder and acting to close said valvewhen the pressure exceeds the strength of the spring, and the other partof the piston being exposed to vacuum in the exhaust pipe acting to holdsaid valve closed while such vacuum exists.

6. The combination with a steam engine cylinder, of an exhaust valveoperatively controlling the outlet of steam from the cylinder, and meansgoverned by the vacuum in the exhaust pipe for operating said valve.

7. The combination with a steam engine cylinder, of an exhaust valve,means to operatively open and close said valve when the engine isrunning non-condensing, and means for holding said valve closed when theengine is running condensing.

8. The combination with a steam engine cylinder, of an exhaust valveoperative to control the exhaust from the cylinder according to theoperation of the engine, and means governed by the vacuum in the exhaustpipe for either permitting the operation of said valve or rendering thesame inoperative.

9. The combination with a steam engine cylinder, of an auxiliary exhaustvalve operative to control the exhaust from the cylinder according tothe operation of the engine, and means governed by the vacuum in theexhaust pipe for either permitting the operation of said valve orrendering the same inoperative.

In testimony whereof, we do aflix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

EDWIN F. WILLIAMS. LE GRAND SKINNER.

WVitnesses C. D. HIGBY, W. T. BEETZ.

